Joe, if you don't care if COI and SOI fold, and you think the remaining pro competitions are silly, what advice would you have for a skater after his/her eligible days are over?Mathman

I'm not trying to be a smart a$$. I am lucky that I get so much of my artistic wants living in the Big Apple and those wants are quite satisfactory. Figure Skating shows just don't do it for me. I feel like I'm seeing the same things over and over again. After the first intermission, I'm ready to go home. I do enjoy the TV versions though. They pass the time without the schlep to a theatre.

I do love figure skating competition and I go live whenever I can, then having taped it, I check it out again at home for the closeups.

Any kind of endeavour by a serious student carries the danger of failure, unfortunately. The goals can be and usually are problematic in academia as well as in sports. What to do if I don't succeed at what I want to do?

In sports it's even tougher for the athlete who was successful but at some point age creeps in and retirement at an early age has to be faced. What to do now?

No easy answers. retiring figure skaters can think about coaching,choreogaphing,writing,designing, or like the Kwans, go into the business. Others finish schooling and become something totally different from skating stars. (Albright, Thomas, etc.)

There is in the Dance World an organization which helps retiring dancers to find other fields of endeavour. There are lots of fund raisers to support this organization. Maybe there should be something like that for figure skating.

I'm wondering Joe how you would feel about show skating if you lived in Montana or Nebraska or any other state that doesn't have elite amateur competitions close at hand or on a regular basis? I did attend a regional comp. several years ago in Great Falls, Mt., & have been to Spokane several times for COI & SOI. Aside from that there are a lot of dyed in the wool fans of individual skaters who continue to buy tickets to see their favorites even after they turn professional. You aren't one of those. That's ok. You don't have to buy a ticket or watch pro skating on TV. But I happen to be a longtime fan of skating (late '60's) & I enjoy all of it...the intensity of amateur skating, watching skaters develop & reach for their goals/dreams as well as the fun & sheer enjoyment of watching the pros whether they are lightheartedly competing with one another or developing the interesting & highly polished routines they do in shows. Amateur & professional skating are 2 sides of the same coin. I'm sorry that you & a lot of others are unable to understand & appreciate both sides.

I'm wondering Joe how you would feel about show skating if you lived in Montana or Nebraska or any other state that doesn't have elite amateur competitions close at hand or on a regular basis? I did attend a regional comp. several years ago in Great Falls, Mt., & have been to Spokane several times for COI & SOI. Aside from that there are a lot of dyed in the wool fans of individual skaters who continue to buy tickets to see their favorites even after they turn professional. You aren't one of those. That's ok. You don't have to buy a ticket or watch pro skating on TV. But I happen to be a longtime fan of skating (late '60's) & I enjoy all of it...the intensity of amateur skating, watching skaters develop & reach for their goals/dreams as well as the fun & sheer enjoyment of watching the pros whether they are lightheartedly competing with one another or developing the interesting & highly polished routines they do in shows. Amateur & professional skating are 2 sides of the same coin. I'm sorry that you & a lot of others are unable to understand & appreciate both sides.

merrywidow -- very well said. I'm one of those who has watched and enjoyed skating for better than 20 years, having had 2-3 "favorites" who I've enjoyed follownig from their "amateur" days right through their pro and retirement years, plus enjoying the overall sport. I still buy tickets to see my favorites, and I watch most of the TV skating. The now "eligible" competitions are great for the edge-of-the-seat now-or-never feeling (tho' must admit that the GP series doesn't generate that type of feeling for me, so I skip quite a few of those) -- and I attend local/regional junior/novice etc., competitions whenever possible because I like seeing the youngsters (and sometimes oldsters) try to do their best. But I also love and appreciate the professional skaters, whether, as they say, they are lightheardedly competing or doing routines in shows.

Thanks for saying what I have wanted to say, only much better than I did!

Hi merrywidow (and triple me - For me there is a big big big difference between sport and show skating. I'm not trying to convince people to think or feel like me. I am just letting people know that there are people like me that do not gush over show skating.

Within the sport of figure skating there is an element of artistic skating which I accept and consider more important than quads or Bielman spins. This artistic element satisfies me within the sport. I do not need to watch show skating which for me does not offer any suspense even when the skaters throw in an extra triple jump.

I lived overseas a lot before retiring and like you, I would be glad to see any kind of an ice show not to mention a ballet/dance troupe passing through the bush.
I understand how you feel and I am certainly not putting you down for your wishes since I was there for quite a while during my own life. At present I live in a town that is overloaded with 'cultural things'. I get to see about 10% of them.

As for TV, I watch the COIs and SOIs when they are on. the holiday shows are a bit too coy for me, but I will watch if I am home. competitions, I try to see LIVE and pretape for when I get home. I really love figure skating competitions.

I love watching SOI more than COI. It's usually easier for me to get a good seat for SOI in Trenton than it is for me to get a good seat for COI. If I can't get a good seat, then I'd rather stay home.

Part of the problem with pro show as broadcast on TV is the bad filming. I get so frustrated when they break away from the skating to show me Patti LaBelle or whoever singing or the dancers on the platform. It's an Ice Skating show - Show me the Skating!!. The only show where I could somewhat see breaking away from skating was the Andrea Bocelli Tribute since I'm sure many people went to hear him sing rather than see the skating.

As much as I love their skating, I really wish the experienced pro's would give up the gimmicks (i.e Gabe's toy chest by Kurt, Candleloro's George of the Jungle, Boitano's Film Noir, some of Plushy's gimmicks - more because I know he can really skate more, Dan Hollander's South Park & Sister Act) Show me the Skating!! I want to see beautiful routines, not mugging to the audience and jumping in between. I think that's why COI is not high on my list of priorities since the pro's tend to do the same routine every year. It's fine the 1st time, but I can't pay to watch it year after year after year - the hula hoops and stunt skating don't impress me anymore and the coy winks and thumbs up from Elvis and Viktor annoy me now.

Whoever manages the Collins tour (don't remember which Collins) needs to realize that attendance is down because the show is getting stale. I think the amateurs keep the ticket sales going, but the winter tour cast needs to be freshened to keep the show going.

As for SOI, I enjoy the quality of the skaters and the choreography of the show. I think it's more fun for the skaters to work together on a routine, too.

Too bad about Evan. He would have been a fresh addition.
I think SOI has it hands down over COI, although I have to agree much of the SOI music choices were pretty egregious this season. When "Mr. Blue Sky" cued up and started playing, I literally cringed. Wouldn't "I need a Man" by Annie Lennox have been great instead? Loved that I&Z used Maroon Five. It clashed radically with the older and staler music choices, though.
Agree that COI has become somewhat gimmic-laden over the years. If any of you have forgotten, let me refresh your memories with four words: Victor Petrenko, Dog Proctologist.

For me, Dan Hollander's comedy routines are hit and miss. I have enjoyed some, disliked others. They are getting a bit stale.

I'm another one who could watch Rudy do YMCA over and over again!

It's my opinion that COI has incorporated Irina and her hula hoops, Besiden/Polichuk's(sorry if I misspelled) acrobatics and the other comedy routines, into the show to please the youngsters in the audience.

My biggest gripe for last year is that I finally had first row seats to this show and the skaters totally cut our corner of the arena TWICE as they skated after the show slapping the audiences hands. What I like about the show is you're never quite sure who, besides the regular cast, has been added. I always like getting to see someone "new" live for the first time.